As the sole carer of Popcorn, Darren quickly learned that a rabbit was no ordinary pet. Kidney disease, diabetes, and cancer are some of them. Tap water is very convenient but is it really ok for our rabbits to drink? Failure of internal organs can also lead to weight loss. If a rabbit is off their food, there will be a reason. It looks like your rabbit is loosing hair or shedding, well it is! It’s great that you’re getting it out there AND here. Darren adopted several more rabbits and as his experience grew he adapted their care and environment to better suit their needs. amzn_assoc_ad_type = "link_enhancement_widget"; amzn_assoc_placement = ""; Often the cause of many unexplained deaths, the nature of this condition along with the speed at which it can develop often means that it is sometimes not detected until its already too late. Weight loss in rabbits is always a bad sign. If you are ever unsure, always take your pet rabbit to the veterinary for an examination. Growing a new fur takes a lot of the bunny’s internal resources. Keep an eye out for signs of health issues and see a vet immediately if you are worried. Examine skin regularly for spots or flaky skin which may be a sign of lice and seek medical treatment if you are concerned about any of these issues. The baby coat is replaced by an intermediate coat when the rabbit is about 4 to 5 months of age. (Should I Be Concerned?). Brushing is important even during light molts to decrease the amount of fur the rabbit is likely to ingest and prevent gut stasis, a life-threatening condition common in rabbits (link to post ‘What is G.I Stasis’?). Jul 16, 2018 3,691 9,233 582 Nevada County, CA. This action will help build a trusting bond between you and the rabbit and by the time molting comes around the rabbit will already be used to being handled. Use a blunt toothed comb or grooming glove to avoid damaging the rabbits delicate skin. Spunky's health picture is very complex. Molting is a language used by the vets to describe the process where rabbits lose hair every season. Great article. Rabbit molting and not eating. You will be amazed at how much hair you can collect doing this and once all the excess dead fur has been removed you can finish off by brushing the rabbit. Ensure water bowls are free of stray fur, no one (including rabbits) likes a hair in their drink. My rabbit is not even a year yet and has become bony in the past week. This may seem excessive, especially with shorter-haired breeds but even these will have a large amount of fur ‘undercoat’ which will need removing. If this happens to you understand that your pet does not hate you! Other rabbits will lose their fur in patches appearing all around their bodies at the same time and where new fur is growing. If you have the 60mg/ml solution (ie the kitten solution), use 0.1cc per kg of body weight (1kg = 2.2lb). Another hen is molting too, but the one I’m concerned about is considerably smaller. The rabbit molts regularly at different stages in its life. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. He has also just recovered extremely quickly from GI statis, about two weeks ago. It looks like your rabbit is loosing hair or shedding, well it is! MOLTING – WHY, HOW, WHEN AND CAN WE HELP THEM? He is 1 years old and recently went for a castration. BunnyAdvice.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Hi all, I have two male rabbits (Blackberry and Thumper 6 months old, both neutered and living separately), Blackberry is experiencing his first heavy molting, this has been ongoing now for 3-4 weeks. Diabetes can cause weight loss even when a rabbit is eating plenty. We bath our house rabbit every two weeks regardless. As touched on above, when a rabbit is going through a molt its skin may also feel more sensitive. Thanks! Often breaking the grooming sessions up into smaller sessions is … During a molt, you should brush a rabbit a couple of times a day. Discussion in 'Rabbits' started by gfagan, Jan 18, 2017. gfagan PetForums Newbie. It is always troublesome when you notice that your rabbit is losing weight. Try and weigh her every week or twice a week and note down the weight. This can catch and pull, potentially damaging the rabbits thin skin. A small piece of banana will also help keep the gut moving along. I guess that could also be partly due to him being able to get excercise now and not just locked up in a cage. 1. Ava got her first pet rabbit and a puppy for her 2nd birthday, and enjoy being around them ever since. Know as being “Stuck in the molt”. He has a passion for helping animals and sharing his experience and knowledge with others. Rabbits may lose weight and hair as a result of parasitic infection, dental problems, or other health problems. If you see no poop then the problems begin. On the shorter end of this spectrum, you will be dealing with a whirlwind of fluff as your rabbit sheds their entire coat in a very short period of time. Last year my Netherland Dwarf looked way different than he is now. Consult a Vet If Your Rabbit Is Eating But Not Drinking Water It is expected that a small amount of fur will pass through a rabbit’s digestive system as a result of cleaning or grooming during a rabbits daily routine. 3.1 CHICKS/PULLETS: 3.2 LAYING HENS: 3.3 THE MOLTING PROCESS: 3.3.1 … So you go to do your rabbit chores and you see fur in one of the rabbits drop pans, or some hair in the cage corner or sides (even in the crocks). The molt can also get stuck. Brushing may be quite a stressful experience for rabbits particularly if their skin is tender. The first time you see the rabbit shedding you will wonder where this is coming from. Let's take a look Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Feed your rabbit more grass hay because greens and vegetables are low in calories. Treat your heavily molting bunny with extra care. Rabbits kept outdoors in countries with colder climates and seasons will naturally grow a thicker winter coat in autumn before most of this is lost during the spring. Their mom, Peanut, freaked out yesterday and pulled all teh fur off her stomach and used hay to build a nest even though the babies are a week old. Dental diseases which can make eating difficult 2. A molt can last from 2 to 6 weeks, or more, it varies from rabbit to rabbit and from breed to breed. In these cases, a rabbit may avoid letting you touch or pet it. Coincidentally, I experienced this just this morning with my own molting rabbit – Princess, when I was bitten while trying to pet him (pictured below). I was wondering what breed and color the rabbit pictured is. Molting only happens when a rabbit loose old hair to grow a new coat. Discussion in 'Rabbits' started by cashewnut, Mar 19, 2012. cashewnut PetForums Member. Especially when he doesn’t like to be groomed everyday. Bookmark the permalink. Ever wondered why your rabbit flops on its side? So molting helps to control body temperature the rabbits will either add or loose excess hair until the proper body temperature is reached. A rabbit showing early signs may have droppings that appear to be small and dry which will then stop altogether. Behavioral When a rabbit is housed with other rabbits, dominant cage mates may chew or pull out fur of the submissive rabbits. 14 Comments. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. If they’re suddenly losing weight, it’s due to a problem with their care or health. 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